Starting a fulfilling side gig, creating a plan and sticking to it, and reflecting on the good things – EDEM podcast with Susan Maccarelli

Do you dream of starting your own side gig but don’t know where to begin? Meet Susan Maccarelli, a stay-at-home mom of two who did just that.

She had an idea, created a plan, stuck with it, and it’s evolved into a fulfilling side business. Hear how she did it, what she’s learned along the way, and a life recipe with four simple ingredients for how you can do it too.

One thing she’s learned is that when you’re trying to do too many things, its hard to enjoy any one of them. That’s why she doesn’t check email while she’s at the park and is okay with screen time for her children at home.

Hear her family’s practice of sharing one good thing from the day at dinnertime and how they reflect on those things at the end of the week and end of the year. A great way to teach gratitude and appreciate more everyday.

We discuss some of her favorite books with characters who teach how to be a good person and how they have influenced her own parenting. She also shares a lesson she learned from potty training— that forcing our children into something they are not ready for is not good for anyone.

You’ll love her very practical life recipe for how to start your own fulfilling side gig. She feels that opportunities are bound to come your way as long as you stick with your plan and stay consistent and persistent.

Don’t miss this wonderful conversation with Susan who offers great insight on parenting, life and finding fulfillment with a side hustle.

Whether you are looking for a whole side business or something a little more than a hobby. Here’s a recipe to make it happen.

Ingredients:

Idea

Resources

Plan

Commitment

Method:

Idea.Take time to think about your interests and what you want to do. Starting a craft or etsy business, offering consulting services, writing a blog or book, consulting services, offering training, taking photography – so many things out there. The possibilities are endless—it’s just about figuring out what’s for you

Resources.Once you have the idea, read everything you can online and/or talk to people. If you are stuck on the idea part, find resources about what questionsto ask for yourself how to find that passion project, side hustle, side gig that interests you. For Susan, starting a blog was the right way to answer that question. She wanted to do something but wasn’t sure what it was. She started the blog unsure of what exactly she’ll write about. She just wrote about what was interesting to her and that helped an idea come along. It eventually led to her figuring out what she’s really interested in. You’ll want to find as much information you can on doing the thing you want to do. Doing the research may lead you in a different direction but that’s okay, you have to do the thing that feels right for you.

Plan. After you do the reading and find the resources, take all the notes you have and scribble the plan parts out and put the plan in order. You’ll want focus on the resources that offer tips, suggestions, and plans to fill in the gaps of your plan. Be sure to include in the plan the things your project needs to be fulfilling for you. For Susan, that meant getting feedback from listeners and earning money. Money was part of the way that she measured success of her plan. Understand that your plan will change. The idea that you start with will likely not be the one you end with

Commitment: Commit to being consistent with your plan. Sticking to the plan and carrying it out can be very hard. But being consistent is going to pay off.

Opportunities will come once you start, stick with it, and stay consistent, persistent, and follow the plan. -Susan Maccarelli

Books we talked about

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Susan talks about how the characters in some of her favorite books have influenced her parenting. She feels that Atticus Finch is an example of how to be a great father.

Roots by Alex Haley. Susan feels this books shows how our childhood carries with us into adulthood. It helps Susan think about how important her role is as a parent.

Susan Maccarelli is the creator of Beyond Your Blog, a site that helps bloggers successfully submit their writing for publication beyond their personal blogs. Bloggers can easily find everything they need to get started submitting their writing, from submission and pitch tips, to directories of submission opportunities and even weekly podcasts with editors from your favorite sites. Susan’s own writing has been published on dozens of sites including In The Powder Room, Mamalode, BlogHer, Scary Mommy, The Huffington Post, and several anthologies including I Still Just Want to Pee Alone. Susan has spoken at conferences and events including BlogHer ’15, International Bloggers Association, and Bloggers at Midlife. Connect on Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest.